ODI Series Against Sri Lanka: Son of Indian cricket team’s former trainer gets call-up to ODI squad

Siddharth Kaul with Punjab coach Ajay Ratra in Amritsar after his selection. (Express Photo)

Back in the early 1990s, Dr Tej Kaul would spend hours in the Indian cricket team’s dressing room as the team’s trainer. Sixty-five-year-old Kaul, who also played in 17 Ranji trophy matches for Jammu and Kashmir from 1973 to 1976, would also see the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammed Azharuddin from close and later also worked as National Cricket Academy’s director from 2002 to 2006, seeing the development of Indian players like Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh. On Monday, as Kaul’s younger son Siddharth Kaul was named in the Indian team for the ODI series against Sri Lanka starting from December 10, it was a realisation of a long-time dream for the Kaul family and the cricketer.

“I was part of the Indian team’s dressing room for years as the team’s trainer. Siddharth and his elder brother Uday started playing cricket at Gwalior where I was posted in LNIPE and as I was travelling for most of the time, their mother Sandhya Kaul would take them to the cricket ground. Siddharth’s selection in the Indian team for the ODI series also brought back all the memories for me. Siddharth has worked his way up in the junior circuit to the Ranji level and India ‘A’ level and today is the start of a new dream for him,” said Dr Kaul, who now has a residence in Zirakpur and is the head coach with Sunrise Cricket Academy.

“Siddharth started gymnastics as his first sport when I was posted at IG Stadium in New Delhi and took up cricket in Gwalior. Gymnastics’ loss is cricket’s gain today and we want him to succeed,” added mother Sandhya Kaul.

One of India’s leading wicket-takers with 10 wickets in the 2008 U-19 World Cup, which India won under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, Chandigarh cricketer Siddharth first broke into the India ‘A” team in 2013 before emerging as Punjab’s leading wicket-taker in Ranji trophy last year with 35 wickets. The 27-year-old picked up eight wickets to emerge as the second highest wicket-taker for India ‘A’ team in the tri- series in South Africa early this year apart from finishing among Sunrisers’ Hyderabad’s top three bowlers with 16 wickets in 10 matches in this year’s IPL.

“To play for India is every cricketer’s dream and to get an opportunity is a tremendous feeling. I have been bowling well for all these years and even though it was a long wait for me, I always thought about bowling well and according to my strengths. Rahul Dravid sir told me that I have been bowling well during the India A tour and things like those boost a player’s confidence. Also, I bowled according to my plans in South Africa and bowling along with Bhuvneshwar paji in the IPl also helped me a lot. He told me about various variations. If I get a chance to play in the series, it will also be an opportunity for me to play in Dharamshala and Mohali, places where I have played a lot,” said Siddharth, who works with State Bank of India in Patiala and also trains under Abhinav Bindra’s mental conditioning coach Amit Bhattacharjee.

Siddharth, who has so far taken 175 wickets in 50 first class matches, was playing along with elder brother wicket-keeper batsman Uday Kaul for Punjab in the Ranji trophy match against Services in Amritsar on Monday when umpires Vineet Kulkarni and K Srinath told Kaul about his selection. Siddharth will be joining the Indian team after the match. Uday, who is three years elder to Siddharth, too shared his joy. “He started playing cricket two years after I started and what more we can ask for him. He has claimed 11 wickets this season, including a five-wicket haul. He has showed his talent and when he got the news of his selection, we were together and went to the Golden Temple to pray. It is a proud moment for the whole family,” Uday said.